Volunteering while Studying in Wageningen

Studying abroad far away from home gives me chances to explore new cultures and living with people from diverse backgrounds. Besides studying, there are many options for activities you can join to get to know these things, including volunteering! Here, I would like to share some volunteering activities that maybe you can join or you can do!

1. Doing Volunteer or Social Project Activities in Wageningen

At the beginning of my study, some of my friends were not really sure that they will have time to do other activities besides going to classes, reading at the library, and working in group works. However, they find that joining social activities is a way to refresh our minds from studying while making an impact on the community.

One of my friends joins Food Sharing Wageningen. Listening to his story about this organization makes me realize that a movement to decrease food waste is really important. We also discuss that with volunteering while studying abroad maybe we can practice this activity when we will go back to our country.

There are other local organizations in Wageningen and student activities in the University. You can find the information when they are looking for volunteers on their social media. I also can suggest that you can directly email them to show your interests!

2.   Promote your own culture (and also learn others)

After passing the first two periods, I finally decide to join the Angklung Club. Angklung is a traditional musical instrument from Indonesia. This club is organized by the Indonesian Student Association. At the beginning of this year, we are already scheduled to perform in Groningen and the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague. The members of the club also have a plan to volunteer in creating a workshop for a student at Wageningen University. In the workshop, we teach international students to learn this musical instrument. For me, it is so nice to do volunteering activity of introducing my countries to other students coming from different countries.

Then, there are also a bunch of activities that I can join to learn other cultures, such as Bellydance Class that organized by Indian Student Association and other cultural activities arranged by some associations, or you can arrange a potluck dinner with your friends and voluntarily cook your traditional foods.

3. Find your passion and create your own activity

I believe there are a lot of ways to contribute to your surrounding. When you feel that you cannot find a suitable activity or maybe your schedule does not match with the program, maybe you can create your own. There is a group of Indonesian students set up a blog, http://student-diary.info, to share their knowledge of their studies or research in Indonesian. This blog aims to approach many people that do not have chances to study abroad to also learn. They invite other students to contribute as well.

Well, you can also discuss your idea with your international friends to create something that can bring a positive impact to the community.

Finally, I would like to say that our contribution while doing volunteer activities can bring a positive impact because I believe that one act of kindness will create a ripple effect. Good luck in finding an activity that suits you best! Do not forget to leave your comment on this page if you have the experience to share.